Irregular migration decreased slightly.
In 2023, 50,185 cases of irregular migrants were recorded, a figure that was down somewhat on the previous year (2022: 52,077). Nevertheless, the number of illegal entries in 2023 exceeded the long-term record set in 2016 (48,838 cases).
The people stopped throughout Switzerland were primarily nationals of Afghanistan (16,174 cases), Morocco (5,976 cases) and Turkey (5,786 cases).
The FOCBS reported 388 cases of suspected people smuggling to the competent cantonal police, versus 476 a year earlier. In addition, 7,614 irregular migrants were returned to foreign authorities, which was more than the previous year (2022: 6,259).
The FOCBS works closely with cantonal and national authorities in the field of migration. Responsibility for analysing the general situation of migration to Switzerland lies principally with the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). The FOCBS engages in intensive dialogue with its domestic and foreign partner authorities, particularly the SEM, in order to be able to react to changing situations at an early stage.
